The big LED lighting pie has been attracting many firms to enter the market, heating up competition between traditional and new firms. Fierce competition can lead to patent wars as the top five LED firms in the world have been expanding the range of patents. These patents will become obstacles to small- and medium-size firms' survival in the long-run.
Currently, Europe-based large-size lighting firms Philips and Osram have been issuing patent permits on LED technologies. According to Philips, when LED lighting customers buy LED light source components from Philips, within the range of the patent permit, customers do not have to pay patent fees. Osram and Philips have also reached an agreement that the former can obtain patent permit from the latter in the future, which means customers of Osram can also enjoy such privilege.
Cree also has an agreement with Osram for the mutual use of LED patents. This agreement includes patents over technologies such as blue LED chips, white LED and items such as phosphor, packaging, LED light bulbs, lighting fixtures, and LED lighting control systems. Cree and Osram also have agreements with Japan-based Nichia and Toyoda Gosei.
According to industry sources, the agreements over patents can help accelerate the growth of LED technologies in applications and lower the risk of infringing on other companies' patent rights.
Philips, Osram, Cree, Nichia and Toyoda Gosei make up the top five LED firms in the world. These firms have long used patented technologies as competitive advantages. But as LED applications have been expanding, the old patents are no longer sufficient to fend off newcomers. Hence the cooperation between these firms.
Nevertheless, the top five firms have been facing challenges from firms such as Samsung, and LG. Osram was the first to file patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung over white LED patents. Samsung and LG returned with a lawsuit against Osram to prevent the sales of any automobiles that are equipped with Osram products in China and South Korea.
Taiwan-based LED packaging house Everlight recently won a lawsuit against Nichia for invalidation of patents.
Small- and medium-size Taiwan-based LED firms are likely to suffer more than strongly funded Samsung and LG if they trip over the landmines of lighting patents owned by large-size international firms. Paying patent fees seems inevitable.
Showing posts with label plenty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plenty. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Neighbors: Hit-and-run site has dangerous medley of traffic conditions
Upper Mountain Avenue is a dimly lit thoroughfare with narrow lanes where motorists drive fast and joggers often take the bike lane, according to neighbors who reside close to where a Montclair man on foot was killed in a hit-and-run Saturday.
"Sad to say, it doesn't entirely surprise me," said Maris Davis of Upper Mountain Avenue. She resides across the street from the Van Vleck Street intersection, where the death occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Douglas M. Williams, 49, was reportedly walking in the bike lane when he was hit by a car, police said. Williams was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. Sunday in Mountainside Hospital.
Davis, who was walking her dog along Upper Mountain Avenue Sunday evening, said no one in her household heard anything when the victim was struck. Another neighbor near the crash site, Amy Putman, likewise said she did not hear the incident.
Both residents looked outside after noticing flashing lights and a large police presence along Upper Mountain Avenue. Investigators shined floodlights, similar to glaring movie-set lights, on the street as they combed over the crime scene for evidence for hours, until at least 2 a.m.
Putman said there were squad cars as far as the eye could see from her window, and she had never seen so many police vehicles at the scene of an accident in Montclair during her 12 years as a resident.
She also noticed two people guiding a body lying on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance.
Worried that the victim might have been one of the many teenagers who live in the neighboring houses - Putman has two daughters of her own living at home, who are 10 and 16 years old - she went outside for a few minutes to find out what had happened.
A plainclothes police officer told her the person on the stretcher was an adult and she walked back home. She observed that part of North Mountain Avenue had been cordoned off by orange traffic cones, which was apparently the spot where the victim's body had been found. There were objects in that coned-off area, but Putnam averted her eyes.
"It's really disturbing, upsetting, and traumatizing," she said, occasionally taking long pauses between her statements. "It could have been anyone."
She said the fact that the driver fled was "terrible."
"Who does that?" she asked. "They should turn themselves in for the family and for themselves, because they will have to live with it for the rest of their lives."
Davis said "people really race up and down Upper Mountain" since it provides a direct route from Bloomfield Avenue to northern Montclair that is free of speed-humps, stop-signs and traffic lights.
She said that could make the avenue more dangerous than the other "main drags" spanning Montclair.
"Sad to say, it doesn't entirely surprise me," said Maris Davis of Upper Mountain Avenue. She resides across the street from the Van Vleck Street intersection, where the death occurred around 11 p.m. Saturday.
Douglas M. Williams, 49, was reportedly walking in the bike lane when he was hit by a car, police said. Williams was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. Sunday in Mountainside Hospital.
Davis, who was walking her dog along Upper Mountain Avenue Sunday evening, said no one in her household heard anything when the victim was struck. Another neighbor near the crash site, Amy Putman, likewise said she did not hear the incident.
Both residents looked outside after noticing flashing lights and a large police presence along Upper Mountain Avenue. Investigators shined floodlights, similar to glaring movie-set lights, on the street as they combed over the crime scene for evidence for hours, until at least 2 a.m.
Putman said there were squad cars as far as the eye could see from her window, and she had never seen so many police vehicles at the scene of an accident in Montclair during her 12 years as a resident.
She also noticed two people guiding a body lying on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance.
Worried that the victim might have been one of the many teenagers who live in the neighboring houses - Putman has two daughters of her own living at home, who are 10 and 16 years old - she went outside for a few minutes to find out what had happened.
A plainclothes police officer told her the person on the stretcher was an adult and she walked back home. She observed that part of North Mountain Avenue had been cordoned off by orange traffic cones, which was apparently the spot where the victim's body had been found. There were objects in that coned-off area, but Putnam averted her eyes.
"It's really disturbing, upsetting, and traumatizing," she said, occasionally taking long pauses between her statements. "It could have been anyone."
She said the fact that the driver fled was "terrible."
"Who does that?" she asked. "They should turn themselves in for the family and for themselves, because they will have to live with it for the rest of their lives."
Davis said "people really race up and down Upper Mountain" since it provides a direct route from Bloomfield Avenue to northern Montclair that is free of speed-humps, stop-signs and traffic lights.
She said that could make the avenue more dangerous than the other "main drags" spanning Montclair.
Monday, 29 August 2011
Lanterns are lethal to cattle, warn farmers
AIRBORNE Chinese lanterns are posing dangerous hazards for local farmers.
The popular lanterns, which float high in the sky, powered by a flame, have wire parts that can prove lethal to grazing cattle.
The lanterns are sometimes still alight when they land and risk setting fire to hay bales or thatched roofs.
Fairlight farmer Paul Elliott says the lanterns are now becoming a menace and called for stricter controls on how they are manufactured.
Mr Elliot says the lanterns make a frequent appearance on his land, off Peter James Lane, and that he has to check each field to remove the debris before it is eaten by cows or becomes tangled in farm machinery.
He said: “Cows will eat anything and the wire on these lanterns can easily kill a calf.
“They land in grass and silage where they are not easily spotted.
“It is not the ones you find you worry about - it is the ones that you don’t find.
“It happens all the time but is worse during party seasons such as bonfire night.
“We did have some sort of industry agreement with the manufacturers that they should be made of more biodegradable material.
“For a while they used bamboo, but the rings on that were still very sharp, now they seem to have gone back to using wire.
“I agree they are very pretty but that is not the point. One recently landed near a straw stack. I know the fire brigade have concerns about these lanterns.
“There is no mark or indication on the lanterns to say where they are made or distributed so it is very hard to track anyone down.”
Isobel Bretherton, from the National Farmer’s Union, said: “There are concerns, not only because of the fire risk they pose, but because cattle are curious and will eat anything they find.
The popular lanterns, which float high in the sky, powered by a flame, have wire parts that can prove lethal to grazing cattle.
The lanterns are sometimes still alight when they land and risk setting fire to hay bales or thatched roofs.
Fairlight farmer Paul Elliott says the lanterns are now becoming a menace and called for stricter controls on how they are manufactured.
Mr Elliot says the lanterns make a frequent appearance on his land, off Peter James Lane, and that he has to check each field to remove the debris before it is eaten by cows or becomes tangled in farm machinery.
He said: “Cows will eat anything and the wire on these lanterns can easily kill a calf.
“They land in grass and silage where they are not easily spotted.
“It is not the ones you find you worry about - it is the ones that you don’t find.
“It happens all the time but is worse during party seasons such as bonfire night.
“We did have some sort of industry agreement with the manufacturers that they should be made of more biodegradable material.
“For a while they used bamboo, but the rings on that were still very sharp, now they seem to have gone back to using wire.
“I agree they are very pretty but that is not the point. One recently landed near a straw stack. I know the fire brigade have concerns about these lanterns.
“There is no mark or indication on the lanterns to say where they are made or distributed so it is very hard to track anyone down.”
Isobel Bretherton, from the National Farmer’s Union, said: “There are concerns, not only because of the fire risk they pose, but because cattle are curious and will eat anything they find.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Events from south of the border today
There were no deaths reported after tropical storm Harvey passed through Belize yesterday. Hundreds of people in that country died from storms last year.
Despite the poverty in that country and the incidence of violent crimes related to poverty, Belize is launching Nautilus IV next month to try and increase tourism in their country. Nautilus IV is a submarine that will tour the Belize Barrier Reef 6 feet below the surface of the ocean waters. The underwater observatory will take regular sunset cruises to elicit how light changes and filters through life in the ocean.
Other Belize tourists’ favorites include fishing, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, rafting, kayaking, bird watching, jungle life flora and fauna, and many Maya ruins. Experts and travel guides warn that most of the crime in Belize occurs around Belize City. Americans are not targeted, and should stay with their own groups near the activities that they have visited Belize to enjoy.
Tropical storm Harvey caused no deaths as it passed through Guatemala yesterday; however, a different kind of storm is taking hold. The “iron fist” party is leading in the polls, and elections are less than one month away.
Most people perceive the “iron fist” leaders as assuming an authoritative posture. Therefore human rights violations and an end to justice may return to Guatemala as has been the case before.
The economy in Argentina is growing at a rate of 9%. Car sales to Brazil are up as are exports of grain and oilseed. Import growth has increased at a higher rate than exports. Inflation is eroding the competitive edge of their currency making imported goods less expensive. In other words, consumers are happy.
Despite the poverty in that country and the incidence of violent crimes related to poverty, Belize is launching Nautilus IV next month to try and increase tourism in their country. Nautilus IV is a submarine that will tour the Belize Barrier Reef 6 feet below the surface of the ocean waters. The underwater observatory will take regular sunset cruises to elicit how light changes and filters through life in the ocean.
Other Belize tourists’ favorites include fishing, boating, scuba diving, snorkeling, rafting, kayaking, bird watching, jungle life flora and fauna, and many Maya ruins. Experts and travel guides warn that most of the crime in Belize occurs around Belize City. Americans are not targeted, and should stay with their own groups near the activities that they have visited Belize to enjoy.
Tropical storm Harvey caused no deaths as it passed through Guatemala yesterday; however, a different kind of storm is taking hold. The “iron fist” party is leading in the polls, and elections are less than one month away.
Most people perceive the “iron fist” leaders as assuming an authoritative posture. Therefore human rights violations and an end to justice may return to Guatemala as has been the case before.
The economy in Argentina is growing at a rate of 9%. Car sales to Brazil are up as are exports of grain and oilseed. Import growth has increased at a higher rate than exports. Inflation is eroding the competitive edge of their currency making imported goods less expensive. In other words, consumers are happy.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Green Lantern Review
It's your average evening on one of fifty two (!) Earths. Superman scorches the sky over Metropolis as he races to rescue a tree-bound cat, while Batman lurks in an alleyway, just waiting for the right moment to leap upon a delinquent and batter them into a pulp. This is the DC that the general public know and love, but elsewhere, further fighting's afoot. The Flash is playing ping-pong with himself, the Green Arrow is busy cursing the rise of Interflora, while the Green Lantern is imagining giant boxing gloves, horse shoes and jack-in-the-boxes with the help of his magical ring. Little does Hal Jordan know that he's about to be thrust centre stage.
Finding fresh faces from DC's canon to bring to the big screen now involves trickier decisions than whether the suits should have nipples (they never, ever should). We've had Batman and Superman - each with varying degrees of success - while a Wonder Woman movie still seems to be slightly too risky (and too easily risqué) for the studios to allow themselves to explore. In a world where Batgirl is re-booted to lose her spinal injury, a high-octane movie about a woman glad to kick ass whilst being happily single is probably not going to appeal to the amorphous, grey blob so beloved focus groups.
Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan in The Green LanternWith the big three out of the way for one reason or another, slightly less-well-known characters are being given their chance to shine on the big screen. While a Flash film would consist of naught but extensive bullet time sequences and a Captain Nazi film would be really, really ill-advised, The Green Lantern has the ideal combination of being vaguely-recognisible and having a great capacity for CGI trickery.
Directed by Martin Campbell, The Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a cocksure test pilot who is chosen to become a member of the intergalactic peace-keeping force that is the Green Lantern Corps. His powers stem from a special ring, which gets its power from a lantern, which gets its power from the planet Oa and so on and so forth.
The trouble with The Green Lantern, as with the previous sentence, is that it tries to fit too much information into too small a space. With heavy-hitters like Batman, the audience is already armed with the who/what/why of it all and just needs to be shown the how. In choosing a character like The Green Lantern, Campbell has given himself the challenge of compressing decades of backstory and lore into a hundred and fourteen minutes. The film rattles from exposition to exposition in (ironically) a flash; characters and motivations are introduced in a blur and forgotten in a heartbeat. It felt at times like a child was describing their favourite hero after drinking fifteen cans of coke and necking sherbert dips for an entire afternoon.
There are, however, plenty of whizzes and bangs to enjoy throughout the film. Some of the lantern's projections are really good fun and the big bad - a being made entirely of fear who looks like an octopus made of cigarette ash and mashed pork pies - is pleasantly revolting, but there seldom feels like there is any substance behind the effects. There are also moments where the CGI suit sported by Reynolds has the unfortunate effect of making him look like his head is rapidly outgrowing his body.
Finding fresh faces from DC's canon to bring to the big screen now involves trickier decisions than whether the suits should have nipples (they never, ever should). We've had Batman and Superman - each with varying degrees of success - while a Wonder Woman movie still seems to be slightly too risky (and too easily risqué) for the studios to allow themselves to explore. In a world where Batgirl is re-booted to lose her spinal injury, a high-octane movie about a woman glad to kick ass whilst being happily single is probably not going to appeal to the amorphous, grey blob so beloved focus groups.
Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan in The Green LanternWith the big three out of the way for one reason or another, slightly less-well-known characters are being given their chance to shine on the big screen. While a Flash film would consist of naught but extensive bullet time sequences and a Captain Nazi film would be really, really ill-advised, The Green Lantern has the ideal combination of being vaguely-recognisible and having a great capacity for CGI trickery.
Directed by Martin Campbell, The Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a cocksure test pilot who is chosen to become a member of the intergalactic peace-keeping force that is the Green Lantern Corps. His powers stem from a special ring, which gets its power from a lantern, which gets its power from the planet Oa and so on and so forth.
The trouble with The Green Lantern, as with the previous sentence, is that it tries to fit too much information into too small a space. With heavy-hitters like Batman, the audience is already armed with the who/what/why of it all and just needs to be shown the how. In choosing a character like The Green Lantern, Campbell has given himself the challenge of compressing decades of backstory and lore into a hundred and fourteen minutes. The film rattles from exposition to exposition in (ironically) a flash; characters and motivations are introduced in a blur and forgotten in a heartbeat. It felt at times like a child was describing their favourite hero after drinking fifteen cans of coke and necking sherbert dips for an entire afternoon.
There are, however, plenty of whizzes and bangs to enjoy throughout the film. Some of the lantern's projections are really good fun and the big bad - a being made entirely of fear who looks like an octopus made of cigarette ash and mashed pork pies - is pleasantly revolting, but there seldom feels like there is any substance behind the effects. There are also moments where the CGI suit sported by Reynolds has the unfortunate effect of making him look like his head is rapidly outgrowing his body.
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